Capacitors are one type of component used in the fabrication of integrated circuits. One manner of fabricating capacitors is to initially form an insulative material (i.e., silicon dioxide doped with one or both of phosphorus and boron) within which a capacitor storage node electrode is formed. An array of openings for individual capacitors is fabricated in such insulative material, for example by etching. It is often desirable to etch away most if not all of the insulative material after individual capacitor electrodes have been formed within the openings therein. Such enables outer sidewall surfaces of the capacitor electrodes to provide increased area and thereby increased capacitance for the capacitors being formed. However, the capacitor electrodes formed in deep openings are often much taller than they are wide. This can lead to toppling of the capacitor electrodes either during the etch to expose the outer sidewalls surfaces, during transport of the substrate, and/or during deposition of the capacitor dielectric layer or the outer capacitor electrode layer. U.S. Pat. No. 6,667,502 teaches the provision of a brace or retaining structure intended to alleviate such toppling.
One manner of fabricating capacitors forms an array of capacitors within a capacitor array area. Control or other circuitry area is displaced from the capacitor array area, with the substrate including an intervening area between the capacitor array area and the control or other circuitry area. In some instances, a trench is formed in the intervening area between the capacitor array area and the other circuitry area. Such trench can be formed commensurate with the fabrication of the openings within the capacitor array area within which the isolated capacitor electrodes will be received.
When etching the material within which the capacitor electrodes are received to expose outer sidewall surfaces thereof, it may be desired that none of such material within the other circuitry area be etched. One prior art method restricts such by masking the peripheral circuitry area. Specifically, a silicon nitride layer is formed over the predominately insulative material within which the capacitor electrodes are formed. The conductive material deposited to form the capacitor electrodes within the electrode openings also deposits and lines the trench between the capacitor array area and the peripheral circuitry area. Example conductive materials include conductive metal nitrides, such as titanium nitride. The titanium nitride is polished back at least to the silicon nitride layer, thereby forming isolated container-shaped structures within individual capacitor electrode openings in the array area and within the trench. Accordingly, the sidewalls and bottom of the trench are covered or masked with titanium nitride, whereas the top or elevationally outermost surface of the peripheral or other circuitry area is covered with silicon nitride.
Etch access openings are then formed at spaced intervals in the silicon nitride within the capacitor array area to expose the insulative material within which the capacitor electrodes were formed. Elevationally outermost surfaces of the peripheral circuitry area are kept entirely masked with the silicon nitride layer. When the insulative material comprises phosphorus and/or boron doped silicon dioxide, an aqueous etching chemistry utilized to etch such highly selectively to titanium nitride and to silicon nitride is an aqueous HF solution. Such desirably results in exposure of the outer sidewalls of the individual capacitor electrodes while the peripheral insulative material remains masked from such etching by the overlying silicon nitride layer and from the titanium nitride within the peripheral trench.
Unfortunately, the titanium nitride may be formed in a manner which produces cracks or pinholes that extend laterally therethrough. This is not problematic within the capacitor array area as it is desired that any insulative material be removed from both the inner and outer lateral sidewalls of the capacitor electrodes. Passage of liquid etchant through any cracks or pinholes within the array area does not defeat this purpose. However, cracks or pinholes in the titanium nitride layer protecting the lateral sidewalls of the peripheral circuitry insulative material can be problematic. Specifically, etchant seeping therethrough can cause etching which forms voids or pockets laterally within the peripheral circuitry insulative material. These can later create fatal contact-to-contact shorts in the peripheral circuitry area when conductive vertical contacts are formed therein.
One solution to such problem is to deposit a very thin polysilicon layer to line internal portions of the capacitor electrodes and against the titanium nitride layer which laterally covers the insulative material of the peripheral circuitry area. Polysilicon is highly resistant to etch by HF. Such will shield any pinholes, thereby precluding HF or other etchants from seeping therethrough and undesirably etching the peripheral circuitry area insulative material.
Polysilicon is undesired subsequently, and is therefore removed. Accordingly, after etching back the insulative material to expose the outer sidewalls of the capacitor electrodes, a dedicated wet etch is conducted to highly selectively remove the polysilicon relative to undoped silicon dioxide, the titanium nitride, and the silicon nitride. Prior to this, a separate dedicated wet etch is conducted to remove an undesired native oxide which forms over the polysilicon.
While some embodiments disclosed herein were motivated in addressing the above identified issues, the disclosure is in no way so limited.